My husband and I recently moved from New York City to suburban New Jersey with our two dogs – Kiri, our 6 year old Shiba Inu, and Mandy, our 4 year old Norwegian Elkhound. The move was difficult for the dogs – for Kiri especially.
Two weeks after the move, Kiri bit my husband. This was not the first time Kiri tried to bite Caleb. Shiba Inus tend to be one-person dogs and I had Kiri for several years before we met. And she had a tendency to become aggressive when she was reprimanded.
However, this time was different. Not only was the bite a bad one, but there was another variable – I was pregnant with twins. Kiri was so special to me. I didn’t want to get rid of her, but I didn’t want to risk her biting my husband or my children.
After reading through a handful of websites I decided to call The Trained Canine. Scott answered and we talked through the situation. He listened to me for over a half hour. He calmed me down and reassured me. I felt so comfortable and scheduled an appointment for the following Saturday.
When Scott walked through the door the dogs immediately responded to him – out of respect, not fear. The training session was highly interactive. Scott watched and commented on how my husband and I individually related to the dogs. I realized very quickly that Kiri wasn’t the only one who needed training; my husband and I also needed to change the way we managed our relationships with the dogs.
In the week following our first training session we spent several hours going over the lessons we learned. We immediately noticed a tremendous difference in Kiri’s behavior. We also spent time working with Mandy. All in all, we met with Scott four times.
It has now been several months since our last lesson and we continue to practice what we learned. Scott told us after our last training session that it was essential to continue with the training so that the lessons learned are reinforced.
I am very pleased to say that Kiri has been wonderful. She is responsive and affectionate – not aggressive at all! My husband and I feel so reassured – especially with the twins on the way.Thank you for everything, Scott!!!
In just three visits, Scott was able to correct a problem that we had with George, our Harrier, since we got him. We had previously hired another professional to come to our home to train him without success. Then we tried sending him off to a trainer who kept him for two weeks to work with him, again to no avail. At five years of age it was still nearly impossible for either me or my wife to even walk with George on a leash.
The change in George's attitude and behavior was noticeable on the first day. By the time we had finished three lessons, Scott had George walking like a gentleman and had taught us the skills necessary to maintain his new found manners.
Scott's love of dogs is obvious right away and he treats both his canine and his human clients with respect and integrity. As a psychologist trained to help people change their behavior, I am impressed with Scott's ability to change our dog's behavior. He also helped us to establish a healthier relationship with George which has resulted in a happier home life for us all.
Scott has worked with our dog Beemer for a four week Puppy Training course and we are extremely pleased with the progress attained. Beemer is a (now) five month old Chocolate Lab who is full of energy and spirit but had very little self control and a serious problem with nipping and jumping.
Scott worked very effectively with us on walking on a lead, basic commands and self control with positive results.While still not perfect, Beemer has improved tremendously under Scott's training. Scott has displayed great knowledge, teaching skills, patience, consistency and true empathy for Beemer. Just as important, he has imparted valuable knowledge and skills to us so we can continue working with Beemer to improve her behavior. We now see the light at the end of the tunnel, where before Scott's training, our situation appeared pretty bleak.
My wife Laurie and I recommend Scott highly as a skilled professional dog trainer.
Dear Scott,
It is inadequate to describe in words how grateful we are to have met you! We honestly did not think anything could have helped our situation, but after just one session with you, we noticed a drastic change in Chloe's behavior! Now that we've completed the 4 week training we cannot thank you enough for making her so much more pleasant to be around. It is as though we have a completely different dog!
We will refer you to all of our family and friends!
Love,
(PS- Make sure you see the card attached to this email that "Chloe" made you! )
Jessica Lauren Photography
Dear Scott,
Thanks for everything you've taught me and Chelsea.
She's a completely different dog than the one who started with you a few weeks ago.
Dear Scott,
Thank you for teaching Sandy. You are the best dog teacher in the whole wide world.
I'm a new mom to a pit bull named Tyson. It's been eons since I've had a dog - prior to getting Tyson, I did my homework on the breed and dog training. The internet is a wonderful source of information but I became totally confused when researching dog training because of the various methods used. After much reading, frustration and confusion I decided to seek the expertise of a qualified dog trainer. I read about various trainers - some of which had breed restrictions - but not one of them "felt right" for my Tyson. I came upon Scott's web site and I read the recommendations and Scott's training methodology. I felt that Scott was the trainer for me - but I wanted to feel comfortable with my choice. I sent Scott an e-mail asking if he had breed restrictions and he responded "no" - in fact, Scott stated that the negative "hype" about certain breeds was very upsetting to him. When I read that response I knew he was the trainer for me.
I called Scott and we talked... I asked a lot of questions and even asked for references from a client that had a pit bull (well, the reference Laura gave for Scott would make you think this trainer walked on water!!). What impressed me the most during my conversation with Scott is that he said he strives to achieve "well-mannered, self-controlled dogs by using positive reinforcement training methods." I knew Scott was the trainer I wanted.
Fast forward - Tyson responded extremely well to Scott during the first training session. Scott was adamant about me working with Tyson in order to reinforce the training behavior. My son and I worked with Tyson everyday on the concepts that Scott demonstrated to us weekly. Tyson is VERY smart and Scott picked up on that immediately. Tyson would become very excited whenever Scott came for his training session. During our training sessions Scott would provide instruction and/or correction for my actions whenever needed. Scott is very professional and genuinely loves dogs.
I am totally amazed at the progress that Tyson has made in just 4 training sessions - which is due to Scott's expertise and my continued training with Tyson. I want Tyson to become an ambassador for the pit bull breed in order to squash the negative opinions of pit bulls, and no doubt Scott Fischer gave Tyson, my son and me the tools to get there! Scott Fischer is a SUPERLATIVE dog trainer with a plethora of knowledge. Please keep in mind... your dog's success is totally dependent upon YOU. If you continue to work with your dog using the tools Scott has given you, you will have a well-mannered, self-controlled dog. I am so excited because now I feel like I have a handle on properly raising and training Tyson. Scott is the absolute BEST!!!
Dear Scott,
I just wanted to take a few moments to say thank you so very much for giving me my life back. I had all but given up on Monte, my 3 year old standard poodle; because everyone told me he was just crazy and that I should get rid of him. I had taken him to a behavioral vet and spent a fortune on drugs such as Paxil, Prozac, Zanax, etc., however nothing worked. I was very frustrated because I'd had three other standard poodles that were so easy to train and were so obedient and then came Monte, and my whole life had to revolve around him. Having people over to the house was so stressful that I got to the point where I would just board him, which is so absurd.
He was so afraid of everything that he would just flip out and there was absolutely no control. We refer to this as the "Monte Zone" One night in one of his frenzies he bit me and that's when I decided I had to do something. I was talking to a friend who suggested training and since I had nothing to lose I decided to give it a try. I found you and I was so impressed with you. You did not believe in choke collars or yelling or hitting so I knew you were the trainer for me. After 10 minutes you had Monte's attention and showed me in just one session how to regain control over this frenzied nut of a dog and it worked. I worked with him every day and followed all of your advice and no one can believe the change in Monte. We have a long way to go and with your guidance, I know we will achieve our goal. I can already see the lovable beautiful pooch I knew was in there. Thank you for your kindness and patience, it is very much appreciated. I can't wait to have him totally under control and then we are going to pay the behavioral vet a visit and show her that Monte did not need an MRI or any more drugs, he just needed to be brought under control.
I had a house full of people last weekend and they were amazed at the difference in Monte, and we owe it all to you.
Thank you.
We were at our wits end with the behavior of our high energy, mischievous 85lb puppy, Frankie. She was constantly jumping up on people, pulling during walks, and slowly taking over our entire house. We contacted Scott to help us deal with her behavior before she hurt herself or someone else.
In one session Scott had Frankie acting like a different dog, we were amazed at how she responded to him. By the second session, Frankie learned that her days of jumping up on the couch were over and that we would not give her attention until she sits and stays. During the following sessions, she learned to focus on me when walking on her leash and to come when called whenever she was off the leash.
We worked with her as much as possible using the techniques that Scott showed us. We had to test these skills soon after our last session when Frankie got out of the backyard and was loose in the neighborhood. I called her and when she came into view, I used the “come” command. She listened and I was able to get her back into the house without incident.
Little by little, we have gained control of our home again! She still tests us, but by sticking to the rules, we now have a much better-behaved dog.
As far as we are concerned, Scott is the Dog Whisperer of northern New Jersey.
Thank you Scott!
We adopted Dexter when he was just 7 weeks old and he was perfect in every way. We taught him all the basics: sit, stay, give paw, etc.. However, when he got to be about a year and a half old, we noticed certain behaviors that made things difficult for us. Whenever we had company or a new visitor, Dexter would bark aggressively and become extremely territorial. When we took Dexter for walks, he became somewhat difficult to control and wouldn't allow us to walk side by side with him.
We found Scott through a Google search and set up an appointment. All it took was one visit, and our challenges with Dexter were eliminated. Scott showed us a few tips and tricks that made walks with Dexter fun again. Having company and new people over the house isn't as difficult as it used to be.
Oh, I should mention that while Scott was working with Dexter, my mother-in-law showed up unexpectedly. She actually thought Dexter was a different dog that (possibly) belonged to Scott because Dexter was so calm! Once we explained who Scott was and why he was working with Dexter, she was amazed at how relaxed and calm Dexter had become in just one visit.
Scott, thanks again for everything! We truly appreciate your help and Dexter thanks you too!!
I first called Scott when I was in an emotional quandary about which of two dogs to adopt. It was our first time ever talking and he took the time to discuss with me the pros and cons of each; his sincerity impressed me right away.
We then adopted a beautiful 12-week-old German Shepherd puppy, Sirro, very unlike the two German Shepherds we had previously raised for the Seeing Eye program! Two families had already had Sirro for a few days each and both returned him to the shelter! I have very high hopes for Sirro, but we also have a 6-year-old Miniature Poodle, Chito, who has an 'attitude'. Even though we have had up to three dogs at one time before, we seemed to have met our match with these two very strong male personalities.
From the moment Scott walked in for our first training session, the dogs paid rapt attention to him! Scott taught us the art of proper leash walking and many other basics. Although I have read many dog training books, Scott used some methods - all positive reinforcement, I may add - which I had not read about, but ones that worked excellently! The one-on-one training sessions, with Scott evaluating the dogs on their own turf are extremely helpful in teaching the dogs and, equally important, us humans, how to behave. Scott has also been available either on-line or by telephone to answer any emergency questions in between training sessions.
In today's busy and oftentimes uncaring world, we feel very fortunate to have met Scott. We appreciate his sincerity and integrity, and we value him not only as our dog trainer, but as our friend.
Dear Scott,
Thank you so very much for your patience and expertise. Harley and I really enjoyed the time we spent together. I know with continued dedication that Harley will advance in his training.
Please feel free to visit us anytime!
Dear Scott,Thanks so much for such great training sessions with our little Rudy Boy. They were very helpful, successful, insightful & fun, too!
We all enjoyed it and we will be more than happy to refer friends and family to you. You truly have a talent for training dogs!!! We will continue to reinforce the lessons you have taught us. Again, thanks for everything. We've enclosed some pictures so you can always remember your star pupil!All the Best,
